Benjamin Barber
A political thinker who argued that consumerism and tribalism were twin threats to democracy, proposing cities as our best hope for global governance.
1939–2017 (age 78)·American political theorist·Birthday: August 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Benjamin Barber carved out a space as a public intellectual who believed politics should be muscular and participatory. His academic career, which included long tenures at Rutgers and the University of Maryland, was always in service of a public argument. He gained wide attention with his 1995 book 'Jihad vs. McWorld,' a prescient analysis of how fracturing identity politics and homogenizing global capitalism were eroding the nation-state. Never content with mere critique, Barber spent decades developing an alternative vision he called 'strong democracy,' advocating for citizen engagement over representative technocracy. In his later years, he turned his focus to urban centers, championing the pragmatic problem-solving of mayors in books and a global network called the Global Parliament of Mayors. His advisory work, which spanned figures from Bill Clinton to, controversially, Muammar Gaddafi, reflected a relentless, sometimes messy, pursuit of influence for his ideas.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Benjamin was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Benjamin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Benjamin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2017Died at 78
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Authored the influential 1995 book 'Jihad vs. McWorld,' which framed a central political dilemma of the post-Cold War era.
- Developed the theory of 'Strong Democracy,' advocating for participatory citizenship, detailed in his 1984 book of the same name.
- Founded the Interdependence Movement and the Global Parliament of Mayors, promoting city-led solutions to global problems.
- Served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton on civic engagement and democratic renewal.
Did You Know?
He was a talented singer and once considered a career in opera before turning to political theory.
Barber's consulting for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, through a charity foundation, drew significant criticism later in his career.
He wrote a libretto for an opera called 'The Marriage of Figaro 2004' with composer Michael Schelle.
“The struggle for democracy is a struggle between those who would privatize hope and those who would democratize hope.”
